Bill Abriel is the current Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) President. He was with Chevron for 36 years, beginning in New Orleans in 1978, and he retired in May 2015. His technical interests are in application of new technology to active projects, including acquisition, processing, interpretation, and integration. He was the geophysical lead for Chevron projects in many oil and gas basins around the world, concentrating on North America, China, Australia, South America, Russia, and Eurasia.

Abriel has participated in many technical committees for SEG meetings, has published in most industry journals, has been a member of the editorial board of The Leading Edge and an associate editor of Geophysics, and is an assistant editor of Interpretation. He was the SEG Spring Distinguished Lecturer in 2004 and the Distinguished Instructor in 2008.

Abriel is a founding board member of the research companySEG Advanced Modeling Corporation (SEAM)and is chair of its board. He was named a Life Member of SEG in 2007 and was SEG First Vice President in 2012. He also has served on numerous SEG committees, including Development and Production, Membership, Research, Global Affairs, and Distinguished Lecture.

Abriel received a B.S. in geosciences and an M.S. in geophysics, both from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a founding member of the SEG Student Chapter and played four varsity years of lacrosse. He still keeps a hand in by coaching a local high school lacrosse team. He and his wife, Vangie, an attorney who teaches at Santa Clara University School of Law in California, have two children.